Tihic: Systemic laws cannot be adopted by “take it or leave it” principle

The opinions of delegates in the House of Peoples on the outcome of today’s session, at which by votes of the Bosniak caucus fully four legal proposals were declared in the vital national interest of the Bosniak people, have been very divided.

A majority in the Bosniak caucus at the session called for the issue of protection of vital national interest when it comes to adopting the proposed law on amendments and changes to the law on public procurement by urgent procedure, the law on citizenship by urgent procedure, and the law on permanent and temporary residence by permanent procedure.

A commission was formed that will decide on this, after delegates from the other caucuses, Croats and Serbs, did not support the request of the Bosniak caucus, and if the commission does not agree on the issue, the Constitutional Court will decide.

The rights of returnees are untouched in the proposed law on changes to the law on temporary and permanent residence, delegate Mehmed Bradaric said.

"We are in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and it is wrong to lie. I am not saying that people don’t have problems, but they should say what the problems are. This is a modern, European law, which if we don’t adopt it now, we will have to do in the future. Because of this law the visa liberalization for BiH citizens is in question,” Bradaric said.

Sulejman Tihic, deputy chair of the House of Peoples, said that the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) views the state of BiH in the national interest of Bosniaks, with equal peoples – Bosniaks, Serbs, Croats, and others.

"In this case, when it comes to these laws, here the ruling majority shows its bullying, with the fact that these complex, systemic laws, which are the foundation of the Dayton Accords, are put into urgent procedure, and they are voted on the system of ‘take it or leave it,’” explained Tihic, adding that these laws need regular procedure and public debate.

"Mr. Dodik said that all the demands of Republika Srpska were passed, and both the SDP and SBB agreed to it in order to stay in the seats they now occupy,” said Tihic.

Borjana Kristo, a Croat delegate to the House of Peoples, said that it is the right of every people to launch the issue of vital national interest, but that she is concerned that there has not been a violation of the vital interests of the Bosniak people.

"This isn’t even about a law that directly addresses one people. This is about laws that should be equal for all peoples and citizens. This is confirmed by the fact that the majority in the Bosniak caucus withdrew the vital national interest issue in the procedure to adopt the law itself,” Kristo said, adding that this means that the laws still don’t exist.